It's no secret that white men heavily dominate the sport of baseball. According to the Racial and Gender Report Card of Major League Baseball, about 60% of baseball players are white. African American players only make up 8.3% of Major League Baseball, and there are only two African American Mangers out of 30 Major League Baseball teams: Dusty Baker of the Washington Nationals and David Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

At the start of the 2016 season, there were only two General Managers who were African-American: Michael Hill, President of Baseball Operations and General Manager of the Miami Marlins, and Dave Stewart, General Manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In an effort to increase diversity in the sport, in 1999, then commissioner of the MLB Bob Selig, decided to implement the “Selig Rule” -- a rule that required every club to consider minority candidates “for all general manager, assistant general manager, field manager, director of player development, and director of scouting positions." Selig also asked clubs to provide him a list of their openings and to include a list of candidates, including minority candidates, to be interviewed. But is the Selig Rule helping or hurting minority players?

Many African-American players are overlooked for managerial positions based on their color and not their qualifications.

Gary Jones, a 55-year-old minor league manager, has a winning record of numerous titles to his name. Jones won four minor league Manager Of The Year awards while in the minors. Taking his baseball career to another level, he worked with the San Diego Padres where he won three organizational awards for excellence in player development. So it is safe to say Jones is more than qualified for the job.

When asked by Michael Powell of The New York Times why so few blacks and Latino's get a chance to manage, Jones said, "I mean, that’s a question that I really can’t answer. It’s just a matter of getting the opportunity."

Well, that's what implementing the Selig Rule was for right? To consider giving minorities the same opportunity as their white counterparts. I don't think there really is a need for the rule when minorities are still being overlooked do to their skin and regardless of their capabilities. I have to disagree with Gary Jones, the opportunities are there, they are just accompanied by racial biases.